


Every Time

by Liorena



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Affairs, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Credence is a blind idiot, Damaged, Drinking, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, OMC looks like Grant Gustin, alternative universe- no magic, and sad, cheating-ish, manipulative asshole warning, semi-explicit abuse, this is actually kinda dark, why are they so stupid?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-16
Updated: 2017-11-11
Packaged: 2018-12-02 22:16:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11518605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liorena/pseuds/Liorena
Summary: “Credence, you… you can’t mean that…” He choked on his own words, his voice thick from holding back tears. Credence stared at the floor, focusing on not looking Percival in the eye, knowing that if he did he would burst out crying and tell him ‘no, I don’t mean it. I want to stay, I want you to hold me again, kiss me again, tell me that all this is just a bad dream’. He bit the inside of his cheek, the tears on the verge of spilling.“Yes, I do, Percival. You don’t love me anymore, and I can’t do this anymore. I’m leaving.”Jonathan (OMC) convinces Credence to leave Percival and Credence does. However the pain does not go away, it only gets worse as he moves in with Jonathan who is not the knight in shining armour Credence believed him to be. But Credence can't leave him, he wouldn't have anywhere to go. Surely Percival would never take him back...





	1. Leaving

**Author's Note:**

> The first two chapters will be angsty and kinda dark but the last two will be quite fluffy.

There was a time when Credence was happy. For two years he lived in a safe home with a man who loved him and he was truly happy. It was too good to be true. That after years of being abused  by his adoptive mother, fearing what he was and what he felt, there was suddenly light. Light in the shape of Percival Graves. 

Percival Graves was a businessman. One of the richest, most influential in New York. Credence found that he was also one of the strongest and kindest. Not to mention handsome with his black, slicked back hair, dark eyes, strong jaw and intimidating eyebrows. Credence remembered clearly how they met. He was passing out pamphlets for Ma. It was raining slightly, not enough to soak him to the bone as it usually did, but enough to make him shiver from the icy drops falling all around. The people who rushed past him didn’t pay him any attention. Not when he meekly tried to spread Ma’s philosophy, not when he tried to hand them a pamphlet, not when they bumped into him and knocked him to the ground. All except one. 

Percival was always kind, always there when Credence needed him. He paid for the medical attention Credence sometimes needed after a harsh beating, he insisted that Credence join him for dinner. He knew when to hug him, when to kiss him and when to tell him how much he loved him. Percival had often tried to convince him to leave and come live with him, but something had always held Credence back. That is until that one day.

 

Ma was in a foul mood that day. The sermon had been all but empty, some of the children were misbehaving and Credence hadn’t been able to distribute even half of his pamphlets. All of this left Credence very nervous, which wasn’t good either because that led to him burning dinner and that had been the last straw for Ma. She beat him with such rage he couldn’t walk. He probably would’ve bled out on the kitchen floor if Credence hadn’t managed to get his phone out and call Percival, who’d burst in 12 minutes later, walked straight past Ma, threatening to call the cops and CPS on her, taken him into his arms and carried him to his car and driven him to the hospital. Percival saved him that day, and every day since.

When he got discharged he realized that he had nowhere to go, until Percival showed up and took him home. Credence clearly remembered the loving gaze in Percival’s eyes when he was gawking at the size of Percival’s home, and the way he laughed when Credence almost tripped over Guinevere, Percival’s Birman cat.

 

Credence had been living with Percival for almost a year and a half when he first met Jonathan. Credence never went to college, Ma wouldn’t allow it, so when he graduated high school he just stayed home. When Credence finally realized he had a choice, he enrolled in nursing school with Percival’s support. One of the requirements of the course was working part-time at the hospital, and it was there he met Jonathan. 

Jonathan was a junior doctor in the oncology department. He was always so charming. He complimented Credence on his hair, on his eyes and made Credence smile with his, frankly, stupid jokes. Over the short time of two months Credence came to trust him completely. During that time he also started to notice how handsome Jonathan was, with his long, yet square, facial features, light brown hair, large blue eyes, thick eyebrows and slight stubble over a strong chin. And even though he told himself to stop, to not look, he got a warm feeling in his chest whenever Jonathan smiled at him.

Credence was often told to help him out with things that he thought he might be able to handle by himself which he found odd, but he enjoyed Jonathan’s company so he didn’t point it out. 

Jonathan was funny, clever, kind, a bit flirty and incredibly gentle. Credence admired the way he treated his patients, always so reassuring and understanding, and he couldn’t help but wonder how he would treat a lover. 

Jonathan always seemed more interested in Credence’s life than anyone else had ever been (except for Percival of course), always asking small questions about what he does on weekends, his favourite colours and if he’d ever done anything truly embarrassing. Credence was always happy to answer, it didn’t even take long for him to tell Jonathan everything about his past and even that Jonathan took without so much as a pitying look. It was like a breeze of fresh air.

Credence started to hang out with Jonathan after work more often after that. Percival had encouraged him to socialize with people his own age, he was after all only 24 while Percival was 36. Jonathan was actually 27 even though he may have looked a bit younger, so that surely counted as ‘his own age’, right?  He wasn’t sure what he would tell Percival whenever they were going to hang out, but for some reason he didn’t want to tell him the truth even though he wasn’t really doing anything, so he lied. It didn’t seem like a problem until one day when Jonathan gave him a ride to Percival’s job so that Credence could tell him that he was going studying with a friend. Credence had met Percival at the door of his office building as he was leaving with his secretary to go to some meeting. Percival had easily believed him when he said that they were just going to the library to study a thing that he couldn’t really get the hang of and Credence hadn’t even felt bad for lying, but when he got back to the car Jonathan had a funny look in his eyes.

“What is it?” Credence asked.

“Credence, I think Percival may be having an affair.” Jonathan answered downheartedly. Credence wasn’t sure he’d heard him correctly. “Listen, Credence. My last girlfriend, Erin, she was cheating on me with this guy Neil. I didn’t have a clue about it until after she left me. Once she did I started to think about what I missed, which was a lot because I was so in love. And based on what I’ve seen between you and Percival, he’s showing a lot of the same signs she did. Look at how he’s smiling at his secretary, touching her shoulder, Erin used to do that too. While you were talking he was almost constantly looking at his phone. Erin was always had her phone in hand, just in case he would text her.”

Jonathan kept listing examples but Credence only heard him in the back of his head. The rest of him was still trying to catch up with what Jonathan had just said. Surely Percival wouldn’t, he couldn’t…  For a frightening few minutes, Credence felt nothing at all. Then all emotions came at once. Fear came first, what would happen to him if Percival kicked him out? Then came betrayal, hadn’t Credence been enough for Percival? Lastly came sadness, didn’t Percival love him anymore? Did he ever love him?

All these doubts grew and grew in Credence’s mind, he had always had a hard time trusting people and the one person he had trusted with his entire being… would Percival betray his trust? Break his heart and leave him on the street? The only way he felt like he could relieve himself of these fears was to tell Jonathan everything. Jonathan was always there for him, never said that what he was feeling was stupid, and never turned him down.

The first time they kissed Credence felt almost sick, not because of what he was doing to Percival, but because he liked it. He liked how Jonathan’s lips felt on his own, he liked how Jonathan stroked his cheek afterwards and he liked how it all felt so forbidden. He knew that he was being tempted like Eve was, and like Eve he gave in to it.

 

One night, just a few days before their anniversary, Credence lay sleepless next to Percival. He looked at how peaceful he appeared and wondered if he was dreaming about her. He hadn’t come home the night before and even now it seemed as if he was sleeping further away from Credence than he used to. The realization hit Credence like a fist. Percival didn’t love Credence anymore. He quietly grabbed his phone from his nightstand, putting the screen brightness on the lowest possible so he wouldn’t wake Percival. He quickly sent Jonathan a message.

_ He doesn’t love me anymore, does he? _

It didn’t take long for Jonathan to reply.

_ No _

_ What do I do? _

_ Leave him _

_ Before he leaves you _

Credence felt slightly nauseous as he thought about how happy they had been together. The first time they celebrated Credence’s birthday, their first anniversary, the little things that Percival did to cheer him up when he was feeling down, the way Percival got crow’s feet when he laughed, Percival’s hugs, Percival’s soothing voice when he lulls Credence back to sleep after a nightmare, Percival’s laugh, Percival’s smile…

Percival wasn’t smiling now. 

“Credence, you… you can’t mean that…” He choked on his own words, his voice thick from holding back tears. Credence stared at the floor, focusing on not looking Percival in the eye, knowing that if he did he would burst out crying and tell him ‘no, I don’t mean it. I want to stay, I want you to hold me again, kiss me again, tell me that all this is just a bad dream’. He bit the inside of his cheek, the tears on the verge of spilling.

“Yes, I do, Percival. You don’t love me anymore, and I can’t do this anymore. I’m leaving.”

Credence felt like his heart was being crushed. Pressed from all sides into a tiny pile of nothing. It was quiet for a few minutes, but it felt like a lifetime.

“Bullshit!” Percival’s sudden outburst startled Credence and suddenly he was looking deep into Percival’s eyes. He tried to look away, but they were so full of hurt and disbelief. When had he gotten so close? “Who told you that? Was it Jonathan? That guy doesn’t know shit!” 

“LEA…” Credence drew a shaky breath to steady himself. “Leave him out of it, Percival. It’s not about him. It’s about you. You staying later at work, you not coming home for the night, you sleeping on the couch instead of joining me, YOU looking at your secretary like she’s the GODDAMNED sun!” 

The words hurt, the truth always did, but Credence could feel the anger bubbling in his stomach. He hadn’t  _ wanted  _ to believe it when Jonathan told him, but when he showed him, all the signs were there. Their once daily lunches together had become a rarity, Percival seemed to constantly buy new clothes as if to impress someone and he always came home so late nowadays. Credence hated to admit it, but he had fallen into Jonathan’s arms for comfort, but who could blame him? Kissing him never felt like when he kissed Percival, but it did feel safe. A calm place in the middle of a storm. A storm that was entirely Percival. Percival who had the gall to laugh. It was a stilted laugh and his eyes were still full of pain as he backed away slightly and clasped his hand over his mouth.

“Queenie? You think I’m cheating on you with  _ Queenie _ ? Jesus, Credence, she’s ENGAGED for CHRIST’S sake. I love  _ you _ , Credence, and you know it. I would never cheat on you.”

“I want to believe you, I really do, but I just can’t, Percival. I’m sorry.” Credence couldn’t hold back the tears any longer. They started running down his cheek, one by one, and he wanted to drown in them, he wanted to be rid of the pain. He pinched his eyes closed, hoping it would all turn out to have been just a bad dream. He heard the sound of footsteps approaching and then there was a hand on the back of his neck, pulling him in. 

Percival’s lips were soft, like they always were. The gentle press made heat curl in his chest, pushing away the anger, shielding his heart and Credence wished he could stay here forever. It felt so safe, it felt like home and he never wanted to let go. But he knew that he had to so he pushed harder, deepened the kiss as much as he could bear just to savour the taste, the feel, of Percival. He heard Jonathan’s voice in his head. ‘He doesn’t love you, he just keeps you around because he’s too much of a coward to let you go’. He pushed the voice to the back of his head so that could hold on to this last moment of happiness, knowing he’ll probably never kiss him ever again.

When Percival broke the kiss he held on to Credence, resting his own forehead against Credence’s as their breath mingled.

“Tell me this doesn’t feel real. Tell me this isn’t what you want too. Tell me that I don’t love you,” he mumbled quietly, a last attempt to hold on to what they had. Credence drew a shaky breath and a silent sob and shook his head. He forced himself to push away and look Percival in the eye. 

“I’m leaving, Percival,” he said, trying to keep his voice from shaking. He swiftly grabbed his bag and made his way to the front door. With his hand on the door he turned to look into the living room one last time. Percival had sunk to his knees on the soft carpet and Credence could see the tears welling up in his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he said meekly and as he turned he saw how Percival put his head in his hands and cried.

“Cheating… isn’t that what you’re doing with Jonathan?” Percival mumbled, more to himself than to Credence. He felt tears well up in his own eyes and forced himself to walk out the door even though it felt like someone had stabbed a sword in his heart and was now twisting the blade and putting salt in the wound.

On the steps he was met with a pair of blue eyes, a light gray nose and white fur observing him. He let out a small breath and crouched to pet her softly. She purred and moved to stroke against his leg and Credence felt a smile tug at the edge of his mouth.

“Goodbye, Guinevere. Take care of him for me, will you?” She gave a small meow as confirmation and Credence stood up, walking towards the car where Jonathan was waiting for him.

“How’d it go?” he asked once Credence was seated and buckled in.

“As well as you would expect…” Credence trailed off, tears threatening to spill once again.

“Aw, come here, sweetheart.” Jonathan said, his voice almost sickly sweet while he pulled Credence in for a chaste kiss. Credence knew that it was meant to be comforting, but compared to the kiss he’d shared with Percival just moments before it seemed almost cold. “C’mon, let’s go home.”

Jonathan started up the ignition and Credence stared out the window at the brownstone that had been his home for two years as the car started to move, leaving Credence’s life behind. 


	2. Running

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, so this is the most angsty chapter, but stick with me through this one and it will get happier in the next one.
> 
> Abi_a made an AMAZING moodboard for this fic on my request, that is here: https://abi-does-stuff.tumblr.com/image/163103156976

Credence thought the pain would pass, that Percival would become just a happy memory, but no. Every morning when Credence woke up next to Jonathan he felt a twinge of guilt, a pang of sadness and a wave of longing for Percival. 

Life with Jonathan hadn’t been bleak, well not at first. In the beginning he told him how he loved him, how he’d brighten the room if he only smiled, how he didn’t have to worry about his scars, nobody would see them. But that changed a few months later. Jonathan started to become harsher. He told Credence not to speak about matters he knew nothing about, he taunted him for how he chose to dress even if it was only a t-shirt, jeans and a hoodie, but this was all fine. Credence had heard a lot worse, but that didn’t stop the words from stinging. Many nights ended with Credence silently crying in the bathroom before going to bed, or looking at himself in the mirror and hating what he saw. But he still endured.

 

It was on May 17th that Jonathan changed completely. 

 

It was Percival’s birthday. He was turning 37. Credence had planned what to get him for his birthday, but he never bought it. He wanted to go to Percival, to wish him a happy birthday in person, but he knew that Jonathan would never let him and Jonathan was after all his partner now, the one he should be pleasing…

“Happy birthday, Percival” he whispered to the darkness outside his window. Percival was probably sitting in his living room celebrating his birthday with Tina, Newt, Theseus and Seraphina just 18 blocks away. Tina probably bought him some sort of tie that was just silly enough for him to still wear it in public and not feel too ashamed. Seraphina probably gave him another one of those philosophical books. Tina probably asked Queenie’s fiancé, who was a baker, to bake a cake for them. Newt was probably stuffing his face with it while Percival laughed at how much chocolate he had around his mouth. Percival, Percival... 

Credence was pulled from his pleasant fantasy by the sound of Jonathan’s voice. 

“What did you say?”

His voice was cold, sharp. Credence tried to think quickly as he jerked around to find Jonathan standing right behind him, but with Jonathan’s icy blue eyes on him he couldn’t.

“I was just… wishing Percival a happy birth…”

The slap stung across his cheek. He’d forgotten how badly a well-aimed slap could hurt and tears started to well up in his eyes.

“Don’t mention his name here. He doesn’t deserve it. He would’ve left you. He would’ve thrown you out on the street when he was done with you.”

“I’m… so.. sorry, Jonathan.” Credence tried to form an apology, but it came out as merely a pathetic whine.

“Forget him. It’s me you should thinking about, I’m the one who’s feeding you, housing you, not him. Now get into bed.”

Credence scrambled towards the bathroom, feeling Jonathan’s eyes on him like fire burning at his neck.

Things only went downhill from there.

 

* * *

Tina couldn’t help but notice how crestfallen Credence looked. She hadn’t seen him in three months, since he left Percival. Back then she met him quite often when he came by the office or on holidays when he’d bugged Percival into arranging parties for their friends (all of which had been amazing) and the difference was astounding. When he was with Percival he always seemed to smile, to shine like the sun in fact, but not anymore. Now his eyes were slightly sunken, his skin looked even paler than it used to be before (if that’s even possible) and his posture seemed to slowly return to what it had been when he’d lived with that horrible woman. Tina had tried to keep in contact after he left Percival but he was almost always too busy whenever she suggested that they meet up, and even now he said that he only had a few hours before he needed to leave. What was he doing all the time? How could he look so miserable and still be happy? 

Even though she hadn’t seen him in so long the conversation flowed easily and she found herself enjoying the short time they had together. They talked about everything between heaven and hell. Tina told Credence about how the plans for Queenie’s and Jacob’s wedding were coming along, how some blond creep had been stalking Seraphina until she called the cops on him and they put him away and Credence told her about the work at the hospital, about how Jonathan surprised him with breakfast in bed on his birthday. Through it all Tina couldn’t help but think, maybe he was happy with Jonathan after all…

A part of Tina wanted to slap, him, to tell him that he shouldn’t be happy, not when he left Percival like he did. Oh, the memory was still fresh in Tina’s mind…

_ Tina knocked on the door in front of her again. She’d been standing there for almost ten minutes and the knot of worry that had formed in her stomach seemed to grow twice as fast for every minute that passed. Finally she snapped. She walked down the stairs and started digging in the flowerpot, after about 30 seconds she found the spare key. She usually disliked letting herself into other people’s homes but right now she was too worried to care.  _

_ Percival wasn’t the kind of person who disappeared for weeks, he wasn’t the kind of person to leave a guest standing at the door, but he wasn’t the kind of person who asked for help either. _

_ The door opened without a sound and Tina had to restrain herself from rushing inside. That impulse was however thrown right out the window when she found Percival passed out on the living room carpet. _

_ He wasn’t wearing his usual impeccable suit, but a pair of tattered jeans and a dark green t-shirt, and boy did he reek of alcohol. _

_ Credence had given a short first-aid lesson to her when she found out that he was a nurse. She hadn’t used it a lot but in this moment she was reminding herself to send Credence a meal at that pizza place he seemed to like.  _

_ Tina quickly checked that Percival was in fact breathing, she had no idea of how long he’d been passed out and just as she was considering calling an ambulance he jerked awake, nearly scaring her to death in the process. _

_ “Tina?” he asked, squinting at her like he was trying to focus. He was obviously still very drunk. Tina felt relieved that she wasn’t required to do CPR but she was also becoming slightly annoyed. She may not be good at first-aid, but she knew how to handle a drunk. _

_ “Alright, you big knucklehead, c’mon, get up.”  She placed his arm over her shoulder and heaved him up on the couch. He reached for a bottle of whiskey that was standing on a nearby table, but Tina managed to grab it before he had the chance.”Oh, no you don’t.” _

_ Percival groaned in protest, but slouched back onto the couch. _

_ “C’mon, Tina, don’t be like that. It’s just a sip.” Percival tried to argue, words slurring as an effect of all the whiskey he’d obviously already consumed. The bottle in her hand was half-empty and Tina suspected that if she looked around she’d find several more, if not from tonight then from earlier. “I’m fine, look at me. Barely had any of it.” He tried to stand but quickly sat back down, clasping his forehead and squeezing his eyes shut.  _

_ “Yeah, right, and I’m a mermaid. Sit, stay, good Graves. Now, I’m going to get you a glass of water, painkillers and some food.” _

_ Percival grunted in response as Tina made her way into the kitchen. As she thought she would, she found four (and counting) empty bottles of whiskey on her way to the refrigerator as well as smaller bottles of liquor. The knot of worry that had been residing in her chest had slightly receded when Percival woke up, but when she opened the fridge and saw that it was empty except for some old jams and vegetables it flared right up again. How long had it been since Percival last ate? _

_ She took a glass and filled it with ice cold water and moved upstairs to the bathroom. She started to look around for painkillers, but she didn’t have to look for long since she found them scattered around the sides of the sink. The bottle itself only had three. She couldn’t help but wonder how many Percival had taken, and how many more he would’ve taken had she not found him… _

_ When she came back down Percival was fiddling with something. Tina didn’t really care what as long as it wasn’t another glass of whiskey. _

_ “What happened to you, Perce?” she asked as she handed him the water and  the drugs. “You call in sick to work and then you don’t show up for three weeks? You don’t answer when we call? You don’t eat? Something happened and I want to know what.” _

_ She took out her phone and ordered two cheeseburgers with sides of fries via UberEATS. _

_ “He left me, Tina” Percival said quietly. “Credence left me… convinced I was sleeping with Queenie.” Tina felt a twinge of disgust in her abdomen. Everyone knew that Percival was completely crazy over his young boyfriend, and that Queenie was completely smitten with her very own baker, but apparently not said young boyfriend. _

_ Percival broke down crying, leaning forward and burying his face in his hands. _

_ “I’m so sorry, Perce…” There was nothing more she could say. _

_ They sat in silence for maybe fifteen minutes until there was a knock on the door. Tina stood up and went to get their food. She put the cheeseburgers on two plates and put one in front of Percival, but before she sat down to eat her own cheeseburger she decided to call Seraphina, a decision she had been pondering for ten minutes. She stood up to go into the hall and make the call when Percival spoke for the first time in almost 20 minutes. _

_ “I was going to propose to him, you know… I had everything planned out. I was going to take him to that fancy restaurant on 5th for our anniversary, then I was going to take him to the pier, I rented a shitload of different kinds of party lights, mostly golden ones and I had put them all around that one spot I know he loves. It was going to be perfect…      He left me not 24 hours before...”  _

_ Tina stopped dead in her tracks. She turned around to see that he was fidgeting with something again, but this time she looked at what it was. She drew a sharp breath. It was a ring. _

_ She quickly moved into the hallway and dialled Seraphina’s number. It called out seven times before there was a reply.  _

_ “Tina, please tell me you have a good reason because this guy I’m with is really, really hot.” Seraphina sounded annoyed at the intrusion, but hey, at least she picked up. _

_ “I need you to come over to Percival’s place, like right now.” _

_ “Why?” _

_ “Credence dumped him the day before he was going to propose, he’s drinking himself to death and I think he may be suicidal.” _

_ Tina heard Seraphina draw a breath on the other side. _

_ “I’ll be there in twenty.” _

_ She hung up. _

 

_ Tina returned to the living room to find Percival eating his burger with controlled ferocity. She gingerly sat down beside him.  _

_ “May I see it?” _

_ “See what?” Percival asked casually. _

_ “The ring.” _

_ At this Percival stopped. He put down his burger, wiped his hand on his shirt and then reached into his pocket. He carefully handed it over to Tina who took it, already admiring the handiwork.  _

_ It was a delicately wrought ring in, what Tina thought was, white gold that was studded with diamonds and in the middle it had two black gemstones, side by side. In other words, it was gorgeous. _

_ Tina imagined it on Credence’s slim finger, where it would’ve fit perfectly. He would probably have gone around showing it off to anyone and everyone who would look at it. She turned it around in her grip for a bit. _

_ “He was going to say yes.” Percival said as he swallowed another bite of the burger. “But I guess ‘happily ever after’ isn’t for everyone.” He gave Tina a small, sad smile and then went back to devouring his hamburger. Tina pondered on that for a few moments before handing back the ring and finally taking a bite out of her own cheeseburger. _

__

“How’s Percival?...” Credence asked gingerly.

Tina thought about telling him the truth, to guilt trip him for doing what he did, to tell him how she, Seraphina, Queenie, Jacob and Newt had made a schedule to take turns watching over Percival and make sure that he wasn’t alone just in case he really was suicidal or fell back into drinking, but that’s when his phone chimed and he smiled at the small message. If he truly was happy with Jonathan, who was she to come and ruin it. After all, it had taken a few months sure, but Percival was working again, he wasn’t drinking anymore. He wasn’t happy, he still had Credence’s picture on his phone, still carried the ring in his pocket constantly, not even thinking of trying to find anyone else, but he was getting better. So Tina put on a small, reassuring smile.

“He’s fine.”

 

* * *

__   
  
  


When Credence came home he couldn’t help but wonder whether or not Percival had been on date yet. If he had been getting better, happier, then what would keep him from moving on? 

He felt the outline of Percival’s home key against the sole of his foot. He’d forgotten to leave it with Percival and he couldn’t bear to go back so he just held onto it, but he also knew that if Jonathan found it he would  _ not  _ be happy. It was both a painful reminder of a life he could have had and a glimmer of hope. It meant that Credence could go home if he wanted, and oh how he wanted that, but surely Percival would never take him back after what he did…

When Credence entered he was hit by the slight acrid smell of tequila. He’d grown used to the smell, but he still hated it. It usually meant that his partner was in a very bad mood or going to be in a very bad mood, neither was good.

He walked cautiously into the shabby and dank living room where he found Jonathan passed out on the couch. He dared to let out a relieved sigh, if he’s passed out at least there’s no risk of him starting to throw glasses at Credence again. A few nights ago he’d come home to the same smell and it had ended with Jonathan throwing a shot glass at him while he was walking away. It had hit him right in the back of his head and he’d lost consciousness for half an hour. When he woke up he  was met with cold eyes and a stern voice telling him to clean up the blood from the floor and get out of his sight.

Credence looked around but could only see one bottle, meaning it wasn’t too bad. He considered waking Jonathan, but something told him that he wouldn’t be happy if he was woken and had a headache and all that comes with being really drunk from tequila and Credence didn’t want to anger him, so he decided to just go to bed.

As he settled beneath the scratchy covers his mind drifted to Percival once again. It had been doing that a lot lately. This time it went to all the Sunday mornings when Percival had woken him up with breakfast in bed. Today was Tuesday which meant that Percival would be getting up at 7.30 tomorrow, eat breakfast and drive to work at 8.15 arriving there at 9 sharp when he would go up to his office to have a cup of coffee and review his schedule. At least that’s what he would’ve done nine months ago. Now maybe he doesn’t leave until 9, maybe he skips the coffee and goes straight for the reports, maybe he kisses someone on the forehead just before he leaves, considering their plea for him to come back to bed. 

It was with these thoughts in his head that he fell asleep. 

He dreamed of Percival’s strong arms holding him close, kissing away some whipped cream that had smeared on Credence’s nose as he’d eaten the pancakes. But the bliss didn’t last long. Suddenly everything became cold and he woke up. What he found was Jonathan pulling off the covers, grabbing his calves and slowly crawling over him. He could smell the tequila on his breath and he had to focus on not making a face. Instead he tried to act sleepy although he was wide awake.

“Jonathan, m’not in the mood..” He tried to turn on his side to get his face as far away from Jonathan as possible.

“Yeah, well I am.” Credence knew then that he needed to get away from the bedroom. Maybe he could sleep on the couch.

“Jonathan, you’re drunk, you don’t know what you want.” He out both his hands on Jonathan’s chest and heaved him over to his side of the bed as he sat up. “I’ll get you a glass of water and I’ll let you cool down while I spend the night on the couch, okay?”

Credence didn’t wait for a response, hoping that maybe Jonathan would pass out again before he got back. No such luck.

He was half-way through the corridor that led to the kitchen and living room. When he felt a hand grasping his arm. Credence didn’t have time to react before he was slammed into the wall. His head hit the wall with such force that he saw white spots dance in front of his eyes, they quickly disappeared and were replaced with the cold blue eyes of Jonathan. They were sparkling with rage and Credence quickly realized that this would not end well for him.

“YOU ARE NOTHING WITHOUT ME! WITHOUT ME YOU’D BE OUT ON THE STREET! YOU SHOULD RESPECT ME, I OWN YOU!” Jonathan was beating Credence into the wall as he spoke. Credence began to feel dizzy and his arms were spasming against the strong hands holding him in place. “NO ONE WOULD TAKE YOU, AT LEAST NOT ANYMORE. NOT TINA, NOT NEWT, NOT EVEN YOUR BELOVED PERCIVAL WOULD EVEN LOOK AT YOU ANYMORE!”

The mention of Percival brought Credence back long enough to shove Jonathan back with what little force he had left in his tender arms. Once he was free he started running towards the door, knowing that if he stayed here… well, he didn’t want to think about it. Jonathan’s confusion at Credence fighting back didn’t last long. He started to run after Credence and he had always been the faster runner. Credence made it out of the apartment and to the stairwell before Jonathan caught up with him and shoved him into the wall again, but this time he landed a heavy punch right beside Credence’s right eye. 

Pain shot through Credence, throbbing from his eye to his cheek and neck. It was making it hard to breathe and Credence felt the tears spilling from his eyes. 

“YOU ARE AN UGLY, SCARRED, USED, WORTHLESS ABOMINATION! WHERE DID YOU THINK YOU’D GO, HUH? THINK YOU’D RUN OFF AND NEVER COME BACK? RUN BACK TO YOUR PRECIOUS PERCIVAL? HE WOULDN’T HAVE YOU BACK YOU KNOW! I SAW HIM TODAY, HE WAS WITH A MAN. HE’S FORGOTTEN ALL ABOUT YOU.”

Jonathan’s rage was getting out of hand. Credence was trying not to pass out from the pain radiating from his eye, trying not to listen to the words that were spewing from Jonathan’s mouth. He was drunk, he didn’t know what he was saying, it couldn’t be true…

Everything suddenly became alarmingly clear as he felt the hands that had previously been holding him in place wrap around his throat. They applied pressure alarmingly fast and Credence could feel the air being sucked out of his lungs. His vision started going blurry and all he saw was those eyes. There was no mercy in those eyes.

As he started to slip away the dark of his surroundings were replaced by a warm golden light. Maybe this was how he would die. At the hand of the man who hits him whom he chose over the man who truly loved him. How hadn’t he seen it? Well, he saw it now. 

Percival was standing right in front of him, his hands were on Credence’s arms, but it wasn’t painful, it was soft. Percival chuckled and Credence felt the vibrations move through the dream-like vision.

_ “That’s it, love, and then you just land one”  _ Percival’s voice was soft, soothing and it brought Credence a calm he hadn’t felt in a long time. Then he felt Percival softly grabbing his thigh, guiding it between his legs. “ _ right in the nuts” _

It was Credence’s turn to laugh, he felt it build up in his chest, only to find that his chest was already empty.

Suddenly he was back in the cold, dark stairwell, however Percival’s voice was still echoing in his mind.

_ “Right in the nuts…” _

Credence gathered the very last of his strength and thrust his knee up, hard, right between Jonathan’s legs.

Jonathan stumbled back, bending over in pain. Credence took a few seconds to fill his lungs with air. When he felt the air prickling at his throat once again he moved to run, one last time. However Jonathan didn’t give up either. He moved to grab Credence’s wrist, and he succeeded, but in his weakened state he couldn’t hold on. Though he did manage to disrupt Credence’s escape so much that Credence was sent tumbling down the stairs. 

Time seemed to move in slow motion for Credence as his shoulder hit the steps, he kept flying downwards. The next thing to make contact with solid earth was his hand. The impact sent pain shooting through his arm. After that time went back to normal and  Credence could barely feel the next few impacts before the back of his head hit the wall and his body came to a halt.

Credence tried to move through the pain in his limbs. It was sluggish at first but when he looked up he saw Jonathan’s silhouette moving towards him, slowly from pain and alcohol, but surely. That brought Credence out of his daze and to complete clarity. He got to his feet and as clearly as he can saw Jonathan moving he heard Percival’s voice in his head once again.

_ “RUN” _

And so Credence ran.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come yell at me in the comments if you want to, (I want you to), and the next one will be happier I promise. Thanks for reading:D:D:D


	3. Coming Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes the fluff, dudumdudu

Credence had lost all concept of time as he ran. He ignored the pain that was throbbing in various places, all he could think was ‘have to get away, have to run far away’. He took a right, then a left, another left, right, left, right, right, left, left, straight, right. His body was begging him to stop, but he couldn’t. He still wasn’t far enough. People looked at him as he ran, but no one seemed to spare him a thought. He was just another crazy person, running through the streets of New York as fast as he could. But Credence was still only human, so eventually his body gave out. He collapsed on the sidewalk.

The ground underneath him was cold and damp, much like his life had been the last few months. Credence closed his eyes and imagined himself away from this world. Away from the cruelty of truth, of home, of trust, of love… He wanted the ground around him to devour him as if he were nothing at all. 

Credence knew that the worst pain was the kind that couldn’t be seen. He had had his fair share of it before. When he was nine he had told Chastity that he liked Johnny, one of the boys that Ma used to feed, and she had told Ma which resulted in fifteen lashes with the belt and no dinner. That was the first step into becoming who Credence was. A sheltered young man who had a hard time trusting even the kindest people. In his life he had trusted only a handful of people and now he saw that if they hadn’t betrayed him, he’d betrayed them…

Everything around him was quiet and dark. Credence didn’t move. He just lay there in the dark, staring at the ground underneath his body, pain throbbing through every inch of his body. Maybe this was how he would die. Alone, unloved and beaten, just like Ma said…

_ “Meeeeow.”  _ The sound cut through the darkness in Credence’s mind, and when he looked up he was met with a pair of familiar blue eyes.

Credence felt a wave of relief wash over him as Guinevere moved closer and gently nosed at his face. The gesture tickled and the tiny huff of laughter Credence let out echoed through the shell he had become, reminding him of the happiness he once felt. 

He pushed himself up into a sitting position and pulled Guinevere into his lap. She meowed weakly in a short lived protest but quickly settled in and started purring. Credence hugged her tightly, drawing comfort from the familiar weight in his arms. When the almost otherworldly sense of relief at seeing Guinevere and taking her into his arms started to sink away, he started to look around. 

It seemed to be a fancy neighbourhood. The small gardens in front of the brownstones were all neatly arranged with a large diversity of flowers and fancy cars were parked in the street. Something scratched at the back of Credence’s mind. There was something familiar about this neighbourhood but he couldn’t quite place it. 

He realized that it must be quite late, after all he had been running for God knows how long and it had been quite late already when he left. The lights were out in every house but one, the one he was sitting right next to. As he looked at it something settled in the pit of his stomach. Credence wasn’t sure whether it was dread, excitement or a bit of both. As he was running without knowing where he was going, his feet had taken him home. They had somehow taken him right to Percival’s front door.

 

Credence sat frozen in the spot, staring at the door. The light was on in the living room, which meant that Percival was sitting in there. It would be so easy for Credence to just walk up there and  knock on the door. Perhaps Percival would let him in, give him a glass of water before politely asking what he was doing there and after listening to Credence explain he would say how sorry he was but Credence couldn't  stay. After all, why would Percival want him back? Credence broke his heart. He left him. An action he now deeply regretted.

Time passed and Credence kept going back and forth between wanting to walk through the door in front of him or keep running even though he had nowhere to go. When Guinevere moved out of his grip, gracefully bounced up the steps, sat down by the door and looked at him clearly expecting him to open the door for her he made up his mind.

He slowly but surely made his way up the steps. He reached out his hand but stopped just a few inches from the doorbell. Before he could change his mind he squeezed his eyes shut and pressed the button.

 

The short moment between the bell sounding through the air and the door swinging open seemed to last forever. Credence had already had time to consider just running away again, before deciding against it and pressing with all his weight on his feet as if that would root them to the ground. Then he started to wonder what Percival would look like. Would he be in the middle of laughing at something his girlfriend had said? Maybe something had gone wrong at work and he’d been pacing the living room to figure out a solution. Maybe…

The door opened and for the first time in months Credence looked into the eyes of Percival Graves.

 

If time had frozen earlier, it had now permanently stopped. 

 

Percival wasn’t wearing his usual three-piece suit, instead he was wearing merely a white button down shirt with the top buttons undone and a pair of black slacks. Even if it wasn’t his signature outfit it was still so utterly and completely Percival. He was still as handsome as Credence remembered. His five o’clock shadow showed the sharp line of his jaw and the light that flowed from the house gave the impression that Percival was glowing. But the thing that captured Credence the most was his eyes. His dark brown eyes with flecks of gold. The eyes that were just staring at him.

Credence thought of a thousand things to say, and none at all. He was so captured by the mere presence of Percival that no words wanted to form, and by the looks of it Percival was experiencing something similar. 

An eternity seemed to pass as they stood there. Percival in the doorway, Credence on the steps, looking into each other’s eyes, oblivious to the rest of the world. Something about it felt unreal, the way the golden light spread into the night, the way the darkness of the night turned soothing at his back. 

Credence expected the feeling to disappear, to evaporate with the first word spoken. Percival would tell him that he had to leave, that his girlfriend was in the next room and that he shouldn’t come by again, but Percival didn’t say anything.

Credence knew that he probably should be worried. Worried about where he was going to sleep tonight, how he was going to afford something to eat when Percival dismissed him, but he only felt calm. 

 

After what seemed like another eternity Percival moved. He didn’t say anything, he just moved to hold the door, a clear sign for Credence to come in. 

 

The feelings almost drowned Credence the moment he stepped inside. It was all so familiar. The smell of coffee filling his lungs, the warmth of the peach walls, the air that made everything feel fluffy. With every step he took the feelings intensified, drowning the pain in waves of ‘safe, home, safe’.

Credence didn’t wait for Percival to close the door. 

He walked through the hall that he knew so well, and straight into the living room. When he looked around he was hit by the shock that nothing had changed. The pictures of him and Percival were still sitting on the mantle, the flowers on the table were the exact same as when he left, as if they had lived for all these months, and there on the carpet in front of the fireplace was his spot.

In the first few months Credence lived with Percival he liked to sit on the carpet right by the fire. He used to just sit there and soak up the warmth radiating from it. There was a bottle of whiskey beside it, about half full, but Credence didn’t care. His feet were moving of their own accord. They were settling back into a life he lost long ago. It may only have been 6 months since then, but it was lifetimes ago. 

As Credence sat down he felt all the sensations of it run through him. The warmth of the flames, the sound of the logs crackling and the soothing scent of burning wood. Before he knew it he felt tears prickling at his eyes. How could he not have seen how lucky he was? Why couldn’t he have understood when Percival told him how much he loved him? Why had he walked away?

The tears were now falling in a steady stream down his cheeks. He could taste the saltiness on his lips, feel the dampness on his skin. He squeezed his eyes shut and curled in on himself in shame. How pathetic he must look to Percival. Coming running back to him after what he did, because where else could he go? He had made very few decisions in his life, and the one that really mattered turned out wrong.

All the destructive thoughts disappeared from his mind when he felt Percival slide down behind him, his strong arms closing in around Credence’s chest. Unlike all the physical contact he’d had with Jonathan this was comforting. This was safe, and Credence gave in completely. 

He melted into Percival’s embrace and before he could get a hold of himself he was sobbing into Percival’s chest. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe he had died out there, on some side street where no one would find him. This was all just his imagination, his own personal heaven. Somewhere he would be safe, loved.  He let the tears fall, he couldn’t have stop them if he’d wanted to. They soaked through Percival’s shirt but he didn’t seem to mind, he just held Credence tighter.

Once his waterfall of sorrow had subsided he started to feel the pain again, but this time it was more like background noises, because as he felt it again he realized that if this was his own personal heaven there would be no pain. If he were dead he would surely feel nothing at all. He really was here, in Percival’s home, in Percival’s living room, in Percival’s arms.

Time floated on and slowly everything started to grow fuzzy as Credence started to drift off, lulled by the warm lighting, the familiar sound of the fire and the heat of Percival’s body against his.

Percival must have noticed how he was starting to doze off because he swept him up into his muscular arms and took him away from the fire. Credence vaguely registered being carried up the stairs and suddenly he was laying on something soft. Their bed. It was still the same one, Credence recognized the safe feeling that spread through him. A few minutes later he felt the bed dip beside him and then Percival was holding him again, pressing soft kisses to Credence’s temple and hair. 

Credence felt like he could cry again, but he was too tired and his muscles had started to ache from everything that had happened, so he just concentrated on being as close to Percival as he could. He took a deep breath to say something to Percival. He didn’t know what he was going to say. ‘I’m sorry’? ‘I love you’? ‘Thank you’?

None of these came out of his mouth. Instead he found a question nagging at the back of his mind.

“Would you save me again?” he asked, half-asleep against Percival’s chest.

“Every time, Credence. Every time,” came Percival’s answer. There was no hesitation in his voice, no regret, no anger, just love.

Credence gathered the very last of his strength and hoisted himself up and pressed a kiss to Percival’s lips. It was in that moment he saw everything flash before him. How stupid he’d been, how Percival always would be there for him, how he was finally home again, and he fell asleep. Safe in Percival’s embrace.

  
  


When Percival woke up he thought it all might have been a dream. Credence wouldn’t just show up on his doorstep out of the blue. He was happy with Jonathan. At least he’d looked happy when Percival saw them a few days earlier. Here he thought he was over what had happened, but all he needed was to see them together once for him to throw out months of not even touching a glass of anything and breaking out his strongest whiskey again. After all he was alone. Why shouldn’t he take a glass, a bottle, to dull the pain of it all? He opened his eyes, expecting to be alone in his bed like he had been for months now, but he wasn’t. Beside him lay Credence. He really was there, it hadn’t been a dream. 

Credence’s long dark hair fell over his sharp features, his eyes still closed in peaceful sleep. Percival reached out and stroked his hand over Credence’s fine cheekbone. His skin was still as soft as feathers, but he noticed something he hadn’t noticed before. There were purplish bruises scattered over his body.

There was one splayed by the side of his eye, a small stream of dried blood running from the corner of his mouth. Anger started to flare up within Percival, but it was sated a bit when Credence’s eyes opened and Percival found himself drowning once again in those dark bottomless orbs.  He looked like he couldn’t believe his eyes either. This was better than either of them could have hoped for.

“Hello, beautiful,” Percival said, not able to resist the smile blooming on his face at the sight.

“Hi,” Credence replied, his voice still groggy from sleep. He tried to move so he could kiss Percival again, but he hissed in pain and fell back down. He let out an undignified ‘oof’ as he fell back against the pillows.  Percival couldn’t help but laugh as he moved over, settling between Credence’s legs and leaning down to kiss him passionately. 

When he pulled away he continued to drink in the sight of the man beneath him. The anger flared up again at the sight of the purple bruises on his arms, as if he’d been grabbed harshly, and worst of all, surrounding his slender throat, like he’d been choked. How had he not noticed last night? He slowly reached out to stroke them.

“What happened, Credence?” he asked carefully,  barely more than a whisper. As he looked into Credence’s eyes he saw tears forming again. Oh, Jonathan was going to pay for this.

“I don’t want to talk about it?” Credence replied, swallowing down a sob. 

“Okay.” Percival leaned down and pressed gentle kisses over the darkened skin. The look of relief on Credence’s face made it all worth it. “Why don’t I go make us some breakfast? What do you say about that?”

Credence let out a small laugh and Percival couldn’t help but think, this, this was what he lived for.

  
  
  


Jonathan was still going to pay. That was all that went through Percival’s head as he harshly knocked on the door in front of him. 

It had been a week since Credence  had turned up at his door.  A week spent basking in the feeling of having him back, of having him home. A week of spoiling him with all the nice things he deserved. Now it was time to get down to business. The door swung open and Percival was for the first time in months face to face with Jonathan.

“Jonathan, pleasure,” Percival said stiffly.

“Percival Graves, to what do I owe the honour?” Jonathan said like he really didn’t know.

Percival clenched his jaw to release some pressure and resist punching the smug bastard then and there. Instead he smiled at him, hoping that his anger didn’t show just yet, there would be time for that as well.

“I have some things to discuss. Can I come in?” Jonathan was quiet for a minute and stepped away from the door, signaling that Percival was allowed inside. Percival walked inside, making sure to keep his shoulders straight and his chin high. He had every right to be here. He held his appearance as he took in how Credence had been living. The place was a shithole. Small, shabby and reeking of alcohol. Percival hadn’t had any problem finding the place, after all, he had been sitting outside the building every night for a week after Credence left him, hoping maybe he’d see him, and at the same time hoping he wouldn’t. Credence had seemed happy then, to think that his life would take such a turn. The thought twisted something in his chest:Credence hadn’t deserved this. Any of this. He had deserved so much more. He deserved everything. Jonathan did not. “Tell me, Jonathan. Have you seen Credence recently?”

Jonathan tilted his head and gave a smile that was obviously forced as they moved into the living room. “Can’t say I have. Not since last week,” he said without hesitation and Percival had to force down a gag reflex. He steeled himself and walked into the kitchen.

“Funny that,” Percival said once he had his back turned to Jonathan “cause I have.” Percival turned and looked Jonathan dead in the eye. “Would you care to explain how it happens that  _ my  _ boyfriend shows up on my doorstep, beaten bloody and scared out of his mind?”

Jonathan  _ dared  _ to meet his gaze. For a few minutes the air between them was tense, like a thunderstorm ready to break out at any moment. 

“I wouldn’t know about  _ your _ boyfriend, Percival.  _ Mine  _ is spending two weeks with a friend at their cabin,” Jonathan answered sweetly, his polite smile still unwavering. Percival wanted so badly to punch it off, but instead he forced a polite smile of his own.

“Is that so?” he asked, once again turning away from Jonathan. He inspected the sink full of dirty dishes and a wave of disgust welled over him. Did this asshole do anything, or did he leave it all for Credence? “And what friend might that be?”

Jonathan hesitated for a moment. 

“A Tina.. something,” he said after a while, joining Percival in the kitchen. Percival could see him in the corner of his eye, fiddling with a knife. 

“Ah, Tina Goldstein. This day really is full of surprises. Because you see, I talked to Tina not two days ago. She’s working extra hard at the moment, hoping to earn a promotion.” 

Percival could see the look in Jonathan’s eyes change from forced politeness and pretend cluelessness to outright rage.

“Well, that’s what he told me he was doing,” he answered curtly. The strain in his voice told Percival everything he needed to know. Fury started to rise in his chest but he restrained himself, he was better than Jonathan, he wasn’t going to lash out. 

“He didn’t  _ tell  _ you  _ anything _ , Jonathan. How could he when you were choking him and pushing him down a set of stairs?” Percival asked, his restrained anger obvious in his voice. He focused on the dishes in the sink, and the disgusting remnants of food on the counter, and the cast iron frying pan, anything but Jonathan. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jonathan flex his jaw and calmly take hold of a kitchen knife within his grasp. 

“Should have known he’d go running back to you.  _ Percival Graves _ ,” Jonathan said with disgust in his voice. “He always was weak.”

Percival tensed at the tone in Jonathan’s voice. It wasn’t just resentment and disgust anymore, there was something else there as well. Something that spoke of a cup almost overflowing. Spoke of violence about to happen. He looked at Jonathan just as he lunged at Percival, knife held high. 

Percival’s long buried college fighting instincts took over and he grabbed the frying pan and swung it at Jonathan and struck him straight in the side of the head. Jonathan tumbled to the floor, dropping the knife beside him and cursing loudly. The fire in his eyes was still burning and when Jonathan got up Percival swung the pan again. This time it hit the other side of Jonathan’s head.

“You fucker,” Jonathan cursed as he stumbled out of the kitchen and into the living room. Percival followed him with long confident steps, squaring his shoulders. He recalled the time he overheard a few teenage boys discussing how much he looked like a mob boss. He used that to his advantage.

“What gives you the right to do that to a person? To Credence?!” He couldn’t keep the fury from his voice anymore. He let it all spill out. “You,” he said, the word laced with disgust and anger, “are nothing compared to him. He deserves so much better, but you don’t care, do you? All you care about is having someone who cooks for you, does your dishes and looks pretty on your arm. Well here’s a newsflash for you, Jonathan. I am going to  _ ruin  _ you. I may run a company now, but by education I’m a lawyer, and last I looked attempted murder will put you in jail.” Percival smirked as he thought about the day he’d meet Jonathan in court and  _ finally  _ make him pay with more than a few bruises and a concussion. “You aren’t getting away this time, you little eel.”

Percival didn’t give Jonathan a chance to speak before he dropped the frying pan and punched him with his bare hand, sending him plummeting onto the couch. The crunch of Jonathan’s nose under his fist had been incredibly satisfying and even though Percival knew he shouldn’t he smiled. “That was for Credence,” he said before turning on his heel and marching out of the apartment. 

 

As he drove back home he called Seraphina. He meant to keep his vow, and he wasn’t going to delay it either.

_ “Graves, where the hell are you?”  _ Seraphina’s voice spills through the handsfree. 

“Hello to you too. I’m not coming in today, I told you yesterday. I had plans. However, I need a favour.”

_ “And what would that be? If you don’t remember I already paid my last IOU”  _ Seraphina sounded amused but that disappeared immediately when Percival told her what he needed.

“I need the best lawyer in the country.”

_ “Why? Dumbledore isn’t cheap.” _

“I need to make sure this guy is out in his place, and I’ll pay for him myself if I need to.” Percival spoke with a confidence that would tell Seraphina that he meant business. She would know that he wasn’t going to change his mind.

_ “Alright I’ll make it happen, but you’re coming into work tomorrow.” _

“I’ll try, but I might be a bit busy,” Percival said as he pulled up into his driveway. 

_ “Oh really? With what?”  _ Seraphina says with a teasing tone.

“I’ll tell you if it works,” he answered without addressing the matter further. “Just,” Percival took a breath to keep the annoyance rising in his chest under control, “get me Dumbledore and I’ll get back to you.” 

He hung up before Seraphina could comment and walked slowly towards the door. He looked at the house that he and Credence once again shared. He hadn’t thought he’d ever get Credence back, but he had, and Percival wasn’t about to let him go again. He unlocked the door and went to find Credence. After all, he had a question to ask him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one more chapter to go, one so extremely fluffy it will melt like cotton candy in your mouth... and hopefully that will come soon as well- but that depends on your comments and kudos ofc:)


	4. Staying

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it (finally)! Thanks for staying with me!!

“Stop fidgeting, Graves. You’re going to be fine,” Seraphina said from beside him and Percival dropped his hand from his collar. He looked over at her and despite her casual, almost annoyed tone, she was smiling back at him.

“I know that, Sera, it’s just, you know..” Percival gestured vaguely and Seraphina just chuckled. He looked around at the venue, concentrating on anything but his thoughts. The white, mint green and pale pink florals, the light filtering through the white curtains, the people in formalwear sitting in rows, not many of them but still. He looked at the mahogany doors, closed, and he took a deep breath. He was here, this was it, nothing was going to stop this now. “You didn’t forget them, right?” he asked Seraphina, just to be sure.

“ _ Yes, Graves.  _ Seriously, everything is arranged, ready. The band has been booked, you checked that five times. The seating is fixed and I have the rings, so get yourself together,” she said with a hint of annoyance. Maybe he had been a bit overly anxious about this.

The music started playing and Percival could feel the butterflies in his stomach rise up again as he turned his attention back to the door. The door opened and Percival hitched a breath. He hadn’t seen Credence since yesterday, another tradition Credence had insisted on, and oh how he had missed the sight of him. 

Credence was wearing a pearl white suit, no doubt Queenie had convinced him. His hair was falling gracefully around his jaw, his tie was pale pink to match the pale pink flowers and in his hands he held a beautiful bouquet of white lilies. 

Percival could feel his mouth hanging slightly open as he watched Credence walk down the aisle towards him. He was smiling and Percival could swear that he had never seen a more beautiful thing in his life.

When Credence finally reached him Percival offered him his elbow which he took eagerly. He looked into Credence’s eyes and he couldn’t have removed the smile from his face even if he’d wanted to.  He was just  _ so  _ beautiful..

They turned to the judge standing in front of them and Percival had to force himself not to stare at Credence. The judge went through the usual routine, ‘dearly beloved’ and all that, and Percival was tempted to ask him to skip right ahead to the part where he got to kiss Credence, but he restrained himself. Finally the time came when the judge told them to face each other. Now he could finally stare at Credence as much as he wanted. He could dream of running his fingers through Credence’s hair as he took hold of Credence’s hands. He could dream of kissing the blush rising on Credence’s cheeks. He could dream of drowning in Credence’s eyes..

“You may say your vows,” the judge said, piercing through Percival’s trance. He took a deep breath and looked Credence in the eye. It was him he was making these vows to after all.

“Credence Barebone, I have known since the first time I met you that you would be the center of my world for a long time. Already then I knew I was meant to love you. And I have. And I will. I knew that I would do anything and everything for you. And I have. And I will. I vow to stand beside you in whatever choices you make. I vow to hold you in my heart for as long as I will live. I vow to never do wrong by you and I vow to laugh with you, live for you and love all of you for the rest of my life.”

Percival felt that the words he said could never possibly describe the way he felt about Credence. They were laced with love at every syllable, and yet so empty compared to his heart. He could see tears in Credence’s eyes and that was all that mattered. If what Percival felt got through to him, then he would be a happy man. 

Percival held his breath as Credence raised his eyes to his and took a deep breath. This was probably it. Now was the moment Credence would run because he had realized that he deserved so much more than Percival could give, but that didn’t happen. Credence didn’t run. Instead he opened his mouth and spoke.

“Percival Graves, you have always stood by me, no matter how stupid I might’ve been. I’ve made mistakes, but you didn’t care. I didn’t realize what I did, and when I finally did I was sure you’d never want me again. I was wrong. I’ve realized many things since then. I’ve realized that there is good in this world and so much of it is somehow centered in you. I’ve realized how amazing you’ve always been, always taking care of me and somehow being everything I could ever need. And I’ve realized just how much I love you, how much I can’t live without you. I vow to stay by your side, for as long as I live. I vow to return every ounce of love you see fit to give me. I vow to stand by you whenever you need me, just like you’ve done for me. And I vow, that I will show you all the things that I can’t put into words right now, because I love you too much. So even if it takes a lifetime, I will show you how much I love you, and if possible, I will give you the world.”

Percival felt like he had forgotten how to breathe. A thousand thoughts raced through his head, but at the same time there was only one. Credence. Credence, Credence, Credence. There were many smaller sounds filling the room, but Percival couldn’t hear any of them. All he could hear was the beating of his own heart and, vaguely, the voice of the judge who was guiding them through the ceremony. He slipped the delicate ring onto Credence’s equally delicate finger and looked up to see Credence blushing and smiling and oh how Percival wanted to kiss him already. When Credence took Percival’s hand he felt a rush go through him . He felt ridiculous, like a teenager with a crush, but it was worth it. He felt the weight of the ring on his finger and he felt an unbelievable happiness bloom in his chest. 

Percival felt warm all over when the judge finally said those five words: “You may kiss your husband.”

He gently put his hand on Credence’s neck and could feel his heart beating inside his chest. He looked into Credence’s dark eyes and slowly leaned in and pressed their lips together. It was like kissing Credence for the first time again. Every single sense tingled inside him and his blood seemed to be on fire. He had everything he’d ever want right here in his arms, and he was so happy. He kept on kissing Credence for as long as he dared before reluctantly breaking away, taking his arm and leading him back down the aisle to cheers and watching pale pink petals fall over their heads. 

If he had been able to he might’ve thought: “ _ take that, Jonathan _ ”, but his mind was far to preoccupied for that.  _ After all, _ he thought with a smile,  _ I just married Credence Barebone. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it folks! If you want to talk you can find me on tumblr as @emthrys  
> Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Pleeease comment and tell me what you think


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